Improved animal-teap



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N. PETERS. PHOTO-LITHDGRAPMER. WASHINGTON. Dv C. Y

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Letters Patent No.'81,596, dated September I, 1868.

IMPROVLD ANIMAL-TRAP.

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TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

, Be it known' that I, ALEXANDER CAMPBELL, of Oxford, in the county of Benton, and State .of Indiana, havfe inventedA a new and useful Improvement in Animal-Traps; and I do hereby declare that the following is a a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable others skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being had tothe accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in whichi i Figure 1 represents a longitudinal section, and

Figure 2 representen cross-section thereof.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts..

The object of this invention is to provide a'simple and effective self-setting trap.

In consists in a platform suspended centrally in respect of its length overa pit, but above the centre vertically, so that it will return to its vnormal position by the actionV of gravitation, and provided with a latch projecting downward from the centre of theplatform, to hold it in position until the animal approaching the bait, near the centre of the platform, steps. on a hinged plate connected with the latch, dieengaging it, whereby the Weight of the animal causes the end of the platform he isA onto swing downward, delivering him in to the pit.

In the' drawings, A represents a platform, 4suspended from the side rails B over a pit, (or it may be a box `for small animals) Aby the pivots C C.

D represents a catch, supported by suitableframework suspended from the side rails, into which a latch, E, Works;I to hold the platform in allevel position.

'F andF represent plates pivoted on the platform, slightly above its face, and near the centrefthereof, where l the bait.` is to be placed, which Vare provided with tongues ara-which take under the upper cross-bar. of the latch E. They are so arranged with reference to weight, that the weight of. the latch will hold them down at their innerA edges, and raised slightly above the face ofthe platform, at their outer edges, in which position thc trap will-be set.- I p When an animal approaches thc'bait from either end of the platform, which hc'can only do, the sides being Vguarded. by pointedro'ds or other suitable means, the latch and catch will resist his weight until he reachesthe `pivroted plates F, by which time he will be well on the said platform, so that he cannot retreat after the platform 'begins' to go down, which will instantly occur as he treads upon either of the saidV oscillating plates, which,

'h eing. pushed down at their outer edges, will raise the latch E out ofthe notch inthe `catch D..

When the' platform has swung down so far as to be delivered of the animal, it will swing back to a level `position by reason of its centre of gravitation being .below its centre of oscillation, whereby the latch will be restored to its'posit'ron in the catch.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent- The latch E and hinged plates ,F, having tongues a, adaptcdto swing with the centrally-pivoted platform A, and arranged with relation to the notched plate fixed to frame D as herein shown and described.

YAIJIX. CAMPBELL.

lWitnesses :V

'.lTHos.- S, Mannion, Isaac, H. Pnnnss. 

